Media

Erin Saiz Hanna

Lorie Winder

Press Release

For Immediate Release

8 March 2015

Interfaith feminists join together to challenge gender discrimination in religion on International Women’s Day

Women of faith will mark International Women’s Day on Sunday March 8, 2015 by joining together in a global, interfaith fast and social media campaign (#EqualinFaith) for gender justice and the equality of women in their faith communities. The day-long fast and social media campaign will culminate in interfaith prayer services and regional gatherings in more than 20 cities across 4 continents.

Equal in Faith organizers embrace the official theme of International Women’s Day 2015, “Make it Happen,” as a call for all people of faith to stand with women everywhere in the struggle for equality.

“When women are denied equitable leadership positions in their faith, it is part of a larger culture of sexism that not only silences women’s vocations and voices, but implicitly gives permission to the rest of the world to discriminate against women,” stated Kate McElwee.

“Equality shouldn’t stop at the doors of our churches, synagogues or mosques,” asserted Lorie Winder. “We refuse to tolerate discrimination against women in our secular institutions. Why, then, do we accept it in our religious institutions? Since religion significantly impacts the broader culture, the marginalization of women in our faith communities affects all of us.”

Equal in Faith organizers include representatives from Ordain Women (Mormon), the Women’s Ordination Conference (Roman Catholic), and Ordain Women Now (Lutheran Church Missouri Synod). Launched on U.S. National Women’s Equality Day in 2013, we call attention to the marginalization of women in faith communities and foster solidarity across faith traditions in the struggle for gender justice in religion.